


Cooking Problems

by RoseBloodCat



Series: Magic Spells, Fox Tails, Ghost Flames, and Snake Scales [2]
Category: Mystery Skulls, Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Alive!Lewis, Arthur can't cook, Humor, Lewis is baffled, Naga!Arthur, but there's a good reason why
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 16:58:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11695974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseBloodCat/pseuds/RoseBloodCat
Summary: Arthur knew he wasn't the best cook, and it was his non-human nature that was to blame. Too bad he couldn't use that to explain himself. Lewis is baffled, but quickly finds his own answer to the problem.Inspired by actual facts and science about snakes and food.





	Cooking Problems

**Author's Note:**

> This is before the cave. A funny little snippet of their everyday lives.

Arthur knew he wasn't the best cook, and it was his non-human nature that was to blame.

Carnivores (like snakes) only had a quarter to half as many taste buds as humans did, this applied to Nags and other (mostly) carnivorous cryptids too. And, while Arthur was more human than most Nagas, he still didn't have as many taste buds as his human friends.

He simply couldn't _pick up_ the many subtle flavors and textures that they could, resulting in dishes with very strange or powerful tastes and smells.

Give him a simple dish with clear instructions and he was fine, but anything more complicated than that and he was _lost._

Lewis was the one who normally cooked for the group when they were traveling, and Arthur didn't like leaving his friend to be the only one who could care for them. The rest of the group was able to trade off jobs so they weren't dependent on that one member, but Lew was the only one that cooked. And with Vivi and Mystery's _huge_ appetites, Lewis always had to do a lot of cooking to keep them all fed. The magenta-haired male had always said he was fine with it, but Arthur _wasn't._

He wanted to do _better_ than just leaving it to his friend, so he'd asked Lewis for cooking lessons, hoping to _at least_ help him out in the kitchen. Vivi, upon learning of their plans, had promptly volunteered herself and Mystery as taste testers.

“Arthur, what _is_ this?” Lewis' voice was a strange mix of calm and disbelieving, and it took everything Arthur had not to flinch. He gave his friend a sheepish smile.

They were at Lewis' house, since his kitchen was better stocked for cooking lessons than Arthur's or Vivi's. The one at Arthur's was also better for a Naga's taste (or lack-there-of), and his Uncle Lance had never been one for fancy cooking. The two ate out more than most people to mediate their difference in taste.

“U-um, it's an I-Irish Stew, right?”

He was sure he messed up, he had thought the ingredients were simple (though the herbs had baffled him for a little bit), but somewhere during the actual cooking process something had gone wrong. It didn't look quite like the picture in the book, a little too- watery? But stews were supposed to be like soups, right? And the smell was kind of strong, but that couldn't be too bad.

It tasted fine to him, but even then his lack of taste buds could get in the way. Lewis didn't know that Arthur wasn't completely human, so he couldn't use _that_ to explain what had gone wrong.

Lewis had told him it was an easy recipe, but then again his friend had been raised in a restaurant, so it was possible that his opinion was biased. He could feel his face warming as he blushed at the look his friend was giving him.

And Vivi giggling at the table wasn't helping.

“Arthur, what herbs did you use? I told you that you could smell the difference between certain herbs, did you check to make sure you had the right ones?” The magenta haired teen's tone was gentle, trying ever-so-hard to not upset his friend, but that only made Arthur feel _even more_ embarrassed.

“I-I though I had the right ones, and I _did_ check... It tastes fine to me! I don't know what's _wrong_ with it Lew.” Arthur groaned, he really thought he was doing okay! Vivi giggled again, deciding to add in her two cents.

“It's a good attempt Arty, but your stew's too watery! And the herbs you used are too strong for the stew! Maybe your tasters's off!” Arthur buried his face in his hands.

This was awful, he just wanted to help Lewis out when they were traveling!

Lewis let out a thoughtful hum.

“Arthur, I want to try something.” He looked up at the taller male in confusion. Lewis pulled a small collection of herbs out, pulling the cap off of one of the bottles and held it out to the blonde. “I want you to take a sniff and tell me what herb you think this is.”

Arthur hesitated, then carefully sniffed the bottle.

“Uh, Sage?” Lewis shook is head, capping the bottle and setting it aside.

“No, it's Basil. How about this one?” Lewis picked up another one and pulled off the cap, before holding it out to Arthur. Another tentative sniff.

“That's... Thyme?” Lewis smiled, nodding.

“Right! And how about this one?” Another bottle was presented and sniffed at.

“Chives?”

“Yup, and this?”

Lewis' odd little test went on for a while longer, with Arthur getting more herbs wrong than he got right. There were even a few that Arthur had to admit he couldn't smell at all. Finally the taller male seemed to find what he was looking for.

“I think I finally found the problem Arty. Vivi was right, your sense of taste _is_ off.” Blue and amber eyes blinked in confusion and surprise.

“Huh? What do you mean Lew-lew?” the only girl asked.

“It's something I remember my dad telling me,” Lewis said. Lightly tapping his nose he continued, “He told me that our sense of smell is actually tied to our sense of taste, and that can effect what we eat and the kinds of food we like. People can pick up certain smells and flavors that others can't, and that effects how different foods taste to them. It's one of the reason's food can taste really bland or off when you have a cold.”

“Arty can't smell some of the herbs, or they smell off to him,” he smiled at the blonde, who looked back at him in a mix of curiosity and relief. “And it effects your sense of taste. No wonder the stew came out like that.”

Arthur looked between them in frustration.

“What's that supposed to mean?” As relieved as he was that he finally had a viable excuse for why his cooking wasn't great, he really wished they'd just tell him what was wrong already!

“Nothing Arthur, nothing at all. Well, since recipes with herbs are a no go, let's try something else. Okay?”

“No! How am I supposed to get better at cooking if you won't tell me what I did _wrong?!”_


End file.
